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On Monday I had the ALA Youth Media Awards Twitter account running in the background while eating lunch. I checked every few seconds while waiting for the awards to be announced. Boy, was this a wildcard year for a few awards! I was thrilled with some, surprised by others, and shocked by some more. Here are the winners:

Newbery Medal-Moon Over Manifest written by Clare Vanderpool- Well, I did not read this one before the announcement. In fact, I did not even recognize the title! However, upon coming home I did find a copy in my TBR pile. Needless to say, it has been moved to the top of the file!

Newbery Honor Books:

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm- My sister’s all-time favorite author. She was so excited when I called to tell her that Jennifer won another Newbery Honor. Needless to say, my sister read “Turtle in Paradise” the day it was released and is anxiously awaiting Holm’s next book. 🙂 (read)

Nothing by Janne Teller- Woohoo! This was my pick and I am so glad that it got recognized. My favorite book of the year, without a doubt.

And I was beyond thrilled when After Ever After won the Schneider Middle Grade Award. I love love love this book and somehow managed to leave it off my “hopeful” list. Needless to say, I am thrilled it picked up a shiny sticker!

On a more personal note, I was checking Facebook and saw that a high school friend posted a link to the ALA Notable Recordings list. Imagine my surprise when I learned that The Flannery Brothers, he and his brother’s band, made the list! How cool is that?! So if you are a children’s librarian, make sure you get a copy of The New Explorers Club into circulation!

Finally, I am not happy to learn that the Today show did not invite the winners of the ALA Awards onto their show this year. I love seeing the books and authors get more exposure and it’s always a great segment. This year, they turned down ALA’s proposal and their literacy time was devoted to Snooki and her book instead. Jersey Shore is a guilty pleasure of mine (I admit it…), but it should NOT be bumping actual authors promoting great children’s literature from major media promotion. Ridiculous.